
Mark Cancian (Colonel, USMCR, ret.) is a senior adviser with the CSIS Defense and Security Department. He joined CSIS in April 2015 from the Office of Management and Budget, where he spent more than seven years as chief of the Force Structure and Investment Division, working on issues such as Department of Defense budget strategy, war funding, and procurement programs, as well as nuclear weapons development and nonproliferation activities in the Department of Energy. Previously, he worked on force structure and acquisition issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and ran research and executive programs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In the military, Colonel Cancian spent over three decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, active and reserve, serving as an infantry, artillery, and civil affairs officer and on overseas tours in Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq (twice). Since 2000, he has been an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he teaches a course on the connection between policy and analysis. A prolific author, he has published over 40 articles on military operations, acquisition, budgets, and strategy and received numerous writing awards. He graduated with high honors (magna cum laude) from Harvard College and with highest honors (Baker scholar) from Harvard Business School.
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Wargaming Nuclear Deterrence and Its Failures in a U.S.–China Conflict over Taiwan
Report by Mark F. Cancian, Matthew F. Cancian, and Eric Heginbotham — December 13, 2024
In the News 8 of 778 results
New weapons for Ukraine: What will Kyiv receive and who will pay for it
Mark F. Cancian appearance on Deutsche Welle — July 16, 2025
Pentagon presses Japan, Australia on role in possible Taiwan conflict
Mark F. Cancian cited in Fox News — July 14, 2025
Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Talks Stall
Mark F. Cancian appearance on NewsNation — July 13, 2025
French fighter jets practiced shooting down high-altitude balloons as the battle for near space heats up
Mark F. Cancian cited in Business Insider — July 11, 2025
NATO is pouring new spending into much-needed air defenses. Money alone won't fix the West's problems.
Mark F. Cancian cited in Business Insider — July 6, 2025
NATO's big $1.4 trillion bet is seeing long-ignored air defenses coming back in a big way
Mark F. Cancian cited in Business Insider — July 4, 2025
America’s ominous new halt on weapons to Ukraine
Mark F. Cancian cited in The Economist — July 2, 2025
A month into Gaza's new aid system - killings, gunfire and chaos are routine
Mark F. Cancian cited in BBC — June 27, 2025
All Mark F. Cancian Content
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Trump Sends Weapons to Ukraine: By the Numbers
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — July 15, 2025

Trump Sends Weapons to Ukraine: By the Numbers
Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — July 15, 2025
Strategic Landpower Dialogue: A Conversation with VCSA General James Mingus
Event — July 2, 2025
Disentangling the Five Key Questions on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — July 2, 2025
Disentangling the Five Key Questions on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — July 2, 2025

Trump Restructures the Pentagon Budget: Two Views
Report by Mark F. Cancian and Melissa Dalton — April 16, 2025
The Trump-Putin Phone Call: Some Promise, Some Disappointments, and Many Questions
Commentary by Mark F. Cancian and Maria Snegovaya — March 18, 2025
The Trump-Putin Phone Call: Some Promise, Some Disappointments, and Many Questions
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian and Maria Snegovaya — March 18, 2025

Human Domain Lessons from Russia-Ukraine | Conflict in Focus
Event — March 6, 2025
Is Ukraine Now Doomed?
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — March 4, 2025
